Chapter 115: Walking on Water
“So this is Senior Luo Xu’s Half-Saint Sacred Intent Diagram.”
Zhang Ruochen felt great admiration for Luo Xu and bowed slightly toward the Half-Saint Sacred Intent Diagram.
Seeing Zhang Ruochen’s action, Luo Shuihan’s eyes brightened slightly. She nodded gently, her appreciation for Zhang Ruochen growing even more.
Not only was he exceptionally talented, but he was also neither arrogant nor proud. In the future, he would surely be no ordinary figure.
Luo Shuihan said, “This Half-Saint Sacred Intent Diagram contains a total of one thousand eight hundred and ninety-four streams, three hundred and twenty-five small rivers, sixty-four large rivers, nine great rivers, and one vast sea. The streams, small rivers, large rivers, great rivers, and sea correspond to the five realms of spiritual power. Try it and see how far you can go.”
Zhang Ruochen nodded, sat cross-legged beneath the scroll, and fully released his spiritual power.
At the same time, Luo Shuihan lightly lifted her white robe, sat cross-legged beside Zhang Ruochen, and also mobilized her spiritual power, gazing at the Half-Saint Sacred Intent Diagram.
“Whoosh!”
“Whoosh!”
Moments later, both of their spiritual powers entered the world within the Half-Saint Sacred Intent Diagram, arriving at a watery realm crisscrossed by flowing currents.
Luo Shuihan was like a white immortal butterfly, barefoot, revealing two sections of snow-white, crystal-clear calves. She walked on the water, gracefully moving to the center of a stream, like a goddess treading the waves.
She turned and looked at Zhang Ruochen standing on the shore. Her voice was soft and beautiful, like a heavenly melody, like a zither, “There are thousands of paths of cultivation, but in the end, small paths merge into great paths, and great paths lead to the same direction.”
“Three thousand great paths, all converging to the same destination,” Zhang Ruochen said.
Zhang Ruochen walked to the edge of the stream, slowly closed his eyes, lifted one foot, and stepped onto the water’s surface. His sole sank slightly but ultimately did not break through into the water.
Then, both feet stood on the water as if walking on flat ground, and he walked toward Luo Shuihan.
Luo Shuihan nodded gently, then followed the current and walked forward.
Zhang Ruochen quickened his pace, walking to Luo Shuihan’s left side, side by side with her. With his eyes closed, he felt an indescribable peace and comfort in his heart.
“Zhang Ruochen, your talent is truly remarkable, stronger than any genius I’ve ever seen. Can you tell me how you cultivated your spiritual power to its current height?” Luo Shuihan asked, her eyes closed, walking forward by instinct.
“I’m sorry, some secrets cannot be told to anyone,” Zhang Ruochen said.
Luo Shuihan did not press further and asked, “Do you know what spiritual power really is?”
Zhang Ruochen said, “Spiritual power originates from the spiritual platform of the brain. The human brain is full of infinite potential. Ordinary people can only use about ten percent of their brain, so their spiritual power only reaches the tenth level. Cultivating spiritual power can unlock the brain’s treasure trove, revealing endless possibilities.”
“It is said that if an ordinary person who has not practiced martial arts could achieve fifty percent brain utilization, meaning their spiritual power reaches the fiftieth level, they could use their spiritual power to break through human limits and become a saint.”
“Spiritual saints are even more terrifying than martial saints. Some can summon lightning, some can control clouds and rain, some can awaken corpses that have slept for a thousand years, some can communicate with gods, and some can foresee the future.”
Luo Shuihan nodded, “Spiritual saints are indeed more powerful and more mysterious than martial saints, but becoming a spiritual saint is a hundred or a thousand times harder than becoming a martial saint. The further you go in spiritual power cultivation, the more difficult it becomes, with each level increase being as hard as reaching the heavens. For example, Elder Yue Jingchan has cultivated spiritual power for eighty years and reached the thirty-ninth level. Without a special opportunity, it would take him at least another forty years to reach the fortieth level. But can he live another forty years?”
At this point, they had passed through the stream and entered a small river.
On the surface of the small river, they continued walking forward, heading toward a large river.
The water in the small river became more turbulent, and wind blew across the surface, hindering Luo Shuihan and Zhang Ruochen’s progress.
Not long after, they entered a large river.
The water in the large river grew even more violent, and the wind on the surface became fiercer, as if trying to blow them away.
Halfway across the large river, Zhang Ruochen heard Luo Shuihan’s voice in his ear.
She said, “This is my limit; I can go no further.”
Zhang Ruochen stopped and looked at Luo Shuihan beside him. At some point, her entire body had sunk into the water, leaving only her breathtakingly beautiful face above the surface.
If she continued forward, she would be completely submerged.
Luo Shuihan said, “I will cultivate here. As my spiritual power grows, I will rise from the water and gain the ability to continue forward.”
“Take care.”
After saying these two words, Zhang Ruochen continued walking forward.
Leaving this large river, Zhang Ruochen entered an even broader great river.
By following this great river, he could reach the sea.
From streams to small rivers, from small rivers to large rivers, from large rivers to great rivers, from great rivers to the sea, a person’s field of vision became wider and wider, requiring stronger and stronger spiritual power.
As soon as he stepped into the great river, Zhang Ruochen’s feet sank slightly; the water in the great river could already cover his insteps.
After walking three thousand meters, the water reached his knees.
Continuing for another two thousand meters, the water reached his waist.
Another two thousand meters, and the water reached his chest.
With difficult steps, Zhang Ruochen pressed on. Every step was strenuous, and only by using all his strength could he move forward.
The water in the great river constantly tempered his spiritual power.
When the water reached his neck, Zhang Ruochen had to stop, struggling against the current to keep breathing and avoid drowning.
As time passed, Zhang Ruochen’s body gradually rose from the water until the water level was even with his waist.
From the shore came Luo Shuihan’s voice, “Zhang Ruochen, one hour has passed!”
Zhang Ruochen was jolted awake from his immersion in spiritual power growth and looked toward Luo Shuihan on the shore, “So soon?”
Luo Shuihan said, “If you want to walk the path of a spiritual saint, I can lend you this Half-Saint Sacred Intent Diagram to help you. But if you do, you must give up martial arts.”
“If you want to continue cultivating martial arts, you must leave the Half-Saint Sacred Intent Diagram now.”
Zhang Ruochen naturally understood Luo Shuihan’s meaning.
A martial artist could also cultivate spiritual power on the side, but they could not become overly absorbed in it, as it would greatly affect their martial arts—a taboo for warriors.
Zhang Ruochen certainly would not give up martial arts, so he began walking toward the shore.
Just then, Zhang Ruochen saw a faint figure on the distant river surface. That figure stood in the middle of the water, as if practicing a profound fist technique.
The figure flickered and vanished. When Zhang Ruochen looked again, it was gone.
“What are you looking at?” Luo Shuihan asked.
“I think I saw a figure that looked like Senior Luo Xu,” Zhang Ruochen said.
Luo Shuihan’s heart stirred, and a strange light appeared in her beautiful eyes. She immediately asked, “What was that figure doing?”
Zhang Ruochen shook his head slightly, “The figure has disappeared; maybe I was seeing things.”
A hint of disappointment flickered in Luo Shuihan’s eyes, “Perhaps you weren’t seeing things. It might really have been an afterimage left by our ancestor, practicing his martial arts.”
“Perhaps,” Zhang Ruochen said indifferently, stepping out of the water and onto the shore.
Luo Shuihan looked at Zhang Ruochen with a complex expression, “Do you know what level your spiritual power has reached?”
Zhang Ruochen smiled, “Not really.”
“The thirty-fourth level,” Luo Shuihan said.
Zhang Ruochen was not surprised. The previous resonance of the gods had boosted his spiritual power significantly, so reaching the thirty-fourth level was not strange.
Luo Shuihan continued, “Do you know what our ancestor’s spiritual power was when he reached the Half-Saint realm? At that time, it was only the thirty-eighth level. It wasn’t until he became a saint that his spiritual power broke through to the fortieth level.”
“Zhang Ruochen, you are only at the Mysterious Extreme Realm’s late stage, yet your spiritual power has reached the thirty-fourth level. In the entire history of the Kunlun Realm, you might rank in the top ten. If you gave up martial arts now and focused solely on spiritual power, you would have at least a fifty percent chance of becoming a spiritual saint.”
Zhang Ruochen naturally understood Luo Shuihan’s meaning. His gaze was firm, “I cannot give up martial arts.”
“Very well. The path is beneath your feet; the choice is entirely up to your heart.” Luo Shuihan then added, “I will keep your spiritual power level a secret and tell no one.”
“Thank you,” Zhang Ruochen said.
Luo Shuihan and Zhang Ruochen withdrew from the Half-Saint Sacred Intent Diagram and walked out of the Divine Power Hall.
Seeing Luo Shuihan and Zhang Ruochen leave the Divine Power Hall together, the students waiting outside all showed expressions of envy and jealousy.
Especially Yuchi Tiancong and Prince Huo Xing, who were nearly mad with jealousy, glaring at Zhang Ruochen as if they wanted to kill him with their eyes.
The doors of the Divine Power Hall closed again, and the twelve students each went their separate ways.
Returning to Mysterious Character Number One, Zhang Ruochen was about to enter the Time-Space Crystal to practice his sword techniques, preparing for the quarterly assessment two months away.
“Bang!” The door to the room was pushed open with a palm strike, and Duanmu Xingling rushed in from outside, a strange smile on her pretty face. “Zhang Ruochen, did Senior Sister Luo take you to the third floor of the Divine Power Hall?”
Zhang Ruochen smiled, “That’s right.”
“What’s on the third floor of the Divine Power Hall?” Duanmu Xingling asked.
“I can’t say,” Zhang Ruochen said.
Duanmu Xingling’s eyes widened, and she puffed out her cheeks in mock anger, “Fine, if you won’t say, then I won’t tell you about the quarterly assessment two months from now. Since you won’t talk, neither will I.”
Zhang Ruochen smiled bitterly, “Senior Sister Duanmu, I really can’t say.”
Duanmu Xingling glared at Zhang Ruochen, then suddenly broke into a brilliant smile, “Alright, if you won’t say, then tell me how you cultivated your spiritual power to such a terrifying level.”
Zhang Ruochen pondered for a moment and said very seriously, “Talent.”
Duanmu Xingling clenched her fists, feeling an urge to strangle Zhang Ruochen.